So many islands...so little time

A couple weekends ago we went to Tidung Island (part of the Thousand Islands) for the day. It takes about an hour to get there on the boat so not a bad day trip at all. The weather was perfect so our boat ride was nice and smooth this time - both ways!

Tidung is two islands that are combined with a really long bridge.  So you can walk back and forth to each island. They are both very small though and not developed.  We rented bikes and rode around to the different beaches so we could see the island since we were only there for one day.  We stopped at an awesome little area for the first part of our day and just snorkeled around the really shallow water and relaxed under the hut and drinking coconuts of course!

I found this awesome big blue star fish while snorkeling around the beach.  It's called Linckia Laevigata, a species of sea star found in the shallow waters of the Indo-Pacific.  I read how they can also be aqua colored, purple, or orange so now I'm on a hunt to see those next! They are so bright and pretty under the water.

My friend Franziska from Germany hung out all day with us on the island. We are both really blonde - and there were TWO of us so sometimes the locals get quite excited. Throughout the whole day we were asked to take at least 6 photos with people. It's just cracks me up.  So basically if you are a blonde in rural areas in Indonesia - you feel like a celebrity! ha Unfortunately we didn't get photos but decided from here on out we need to make sure to ask the locals for a photo shot as well and keep a rolling count!

Alo has always wanted a motorcycle and I finally found one on this island I like too!! And this way I can actually drive yet he doesn't have to ever sit on the back :) Win win for everyone! ha

Alo convinced me to jump off the bridge between the two islands with him and at first I wasn't scared but once you get up there it looks much higher! It was fun but I felt like I was wearing earmuffs for a week after I jumped.  Not cool!

Alo found a nice little spot for a nap. My parents really need to build on of these at our place on the river!

The bridge you must walk across to get to the other island is certainly not what I would call safe.  It was gorgeous however all I could focus on was my every step because many boards were missing, rotted, or broken! Literally there would be holes as you walked along or boards that felt as though they might break off any moment...hints the sign below...Hati Hati means be careful!

I would recommend this island and go back to it again. Wouldn't stay the night since there aren't too many nice places (and no toilets of course!) but it's great if you need your fix of clear blue waters and calm beaches.  

She put the lime in the coconut...

I've already discovered many new local fruits and fun things I love! My biggest obsession so far is called Nata de Coco - one word - YUMmmy! 

Nata de Coco is translucent and jelly-like and is usually served as a dessert item. You can mix it with fruits, ice cream, frozen yogurt, or just eat it plain which is what I do. Some of you may not like the consistency but I love it. I'm really big into anything chewy or jelly like though.  And the biggest plus is that it's not bad for you! Well technically I can't tell how much sugar is added to the kind I buy since it's all in Bahasa, but it's very high in fiber, low in calories, and no cholesterol.

Nata de Coco is produced by the fermentation of coconut water.  It's originally from the Philippines, the largest coconut producing country in the world, but is produced today in Indonesia as well. Since Indonesia comes right behind the Phillipines in the production of coconuts - I'm surely getting in my fix of them over here! When we were at the beach the other weekend at Tidung Island, we asked for a coconut to drink and they literally walked over to the trees, collected the ones that had dropped, chopped off the top and put a straw in it. They like to keep things simple over here :) 

Brunch at Cafe Batavia

Alo and I had heard great things about Cafe Batavia so we decided to venture out and try it one Saturday.  It's got the original colonial ambiance of old Batavia, the Dutch name for the former capital.  The restaurant is located on "the square", where they have games, music, food and bikes to rent.  I was hoping they would have a market with lots of great things to buy but no such luck. I did however buy three scarfs from a little vendor and they cost about 5 dollars total so that was exciting.

Would much rather ride around in this car daily than our stylish VAN! :)

These two men were in the middle of the square and had these large, long whips  and would just snap them on the ground which would make a LOUD horrible sound. Wasn't sure what the appeal of this was but was sure I would not be getting in their way - OUCH!

The funniest thing I think I saw was this "ride" for little kids. It played music and the little kids would sit on the tiny bikes and go, up and down, up and down. Sounds normal right? Maybe until you see it. This guy was just riding a large bicycle looking thing in the back behind them and he was the power behind the whole machine.  It gave us a good laugh!

Alo made friends with all the locals and played some of their games. It cost about 10 cents for ever try.  Good thing since he lost every time! ha

After our afternoon of venturing around the old city we needed some AC and a cold drink! 

Cheers!

What is better than one cake? Two!

So I'm really behind on my postings but hopefully one day soon I'll catch up!

It was Alo's birthday July 18th and we had a couple friends over to celebrate (yes we have found a few!).  I was in a mad panic at the grocery store looking for ingredients to bake a cake or some kind of yummy dessert. As you all know I'm not a fan of cooking - but love to bake and make anything sweet since I have a sugar addiction! The other minor detail is the fact we don't have an oven - well a real oven. I wasn't so sure how the tiny toaster oven would perform for this special occasion. Long story short - Ranch Market saved the day and I bought their Tiramisu instead. Phew. They even offered to write Happy Bday Alo on the cake - wasn't sure how it would turn out on Tiramisu but I was impressed!

Ranch Market is awesome and makes me feel slightly at home while grocery shopping! Except for their prices! Woo everything is so high - but regardless I love it :)

So when our friends came over for dinner for Alo's bday, they brought some beers and something for Alo...can you guess what it was?

It was pretty funny! We all laughed wondering what the lady at the bakery must have thought when they had two requests in the same day for an ALO. ha We had a nice dinner and Alo had a good time. The next night I took him to Lara Djonggrang, a local traditional indonesian restaurant to celebrate. We tried lots of Indonesian food and I really loved the atmosphere of the restaurant.  So all and all it was a successful first birthday in Indonesia!